WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR OCTOBER 2017

I joined MFP in June 2014 at the suggestion of our dietician at my bariatric surgeon's office. She kept encouraging me to keep track of my food by macros rather than calories and this is the perfect site to do that. Having a stomach the size of an egg, does not allow for "normal" caloric intake. So I can set MFP to track my food intake by petcentage of protein, fat and carbs. It shows me a pie chart, perfect for my needs.

The bonus was discovering this group of very special women who have become very dear to me.

Janetr okc

langman22 wrote: »

get away sounds fun. My daughter and I go away for a weekend sometimes and we love it. The movie Thor will be out soon and we always go to those. Olivia says is great eye candy. Lol Wow and congrats on the new grandbaby! How amazing that your sister could deliver it. Boy or girl? I don’t think you said.

It actually was my sister's grandbaby, not mine. So she delivered her own 8th grandchild. A boy. I have 13 grandkids, not looking to add any more any time soon.

Allie and Sharon I too have been divorced twice, and married for third time, which I swore I'd never do. It's the best thing that's evet happened to me, besides my daughters. I finally found my Prince Charming. . My first husband was an ordained minister, NEVER occurred to me that we would divorce. My girls dad never saw a need to help support his children. My second husband was a good friend and nice guy, just wouldn't keep a job and I was already working a full time and a part time job to support us. He and I remained friends until he passed two years ago.

Divorce was a nasty word in my mouth, I hated saying it and felt ashamed the first ttime I got divorcd. Then I did it again. I thot I must be the biggest loser ever. I have five older sisters, not one of them divorced, only me and twice. They have been married for 48 years to 53, oldest was just short of 55 year anniversary when her husband passed. Then along came me. Took a long time to begin to realize that I only had control and responsibility for my OWN actions. I was single for 12 years after the second divorce. I was happy and okay with it, that took a while too.

Some times things are just out of our control. We have no answers as to why me, or how come. But you are worth being loved and cherished and you must take care of you. I love you both and send hugs and prayers. You are NOT alone.

Janetr okc

Beth - With the babies being so close inside the mother; maybe putting them together in the crib. I think a lot of people with twins do that for the first few months. Turning their seats so they face one another might work … sounds like if they could see one another that might click and one have a special bond with the other. When any baby sees another one, they will usually start jabbering at one another – sort of a secret language that only they understand.

Michele – The Pediatrician I used with my two boys told me ‘you, as their Mother is my best tool, you are the ears and eyes and what you tell me helps me better diagnose what might be going on. If you say they are doing (or not doing) something then I appreciate being told. Love him, he was a ‘bit strange’; but, he always let you know (in writing) what a baby should be doing by a certain time in their lives … so if they weren’t you had something to talk to him about. When Will had a seizure and stopped breathing, we called the EMT’s; but, by that point he had started crying and they said they could take him to the hospital or we could call his Pediatrician and ask him what he wanted us to do. We went to the hospital and they ran tests; but, they did not call the Pediatrician (who was his partner) and I was told that ‘he would not come to the hospital unless he was admitted). Nothing found and I was told to go home and just watch him. I did just that. I put him in his crib and sat in a chair beside it and had my hand resting on his back. I fell asleep in that position. Louis finally came up to relieve me on the watching and he, too, fell asleep resting up on the crib. The next morning, as soon as I ‘thought’ they would answer the phone I called and told the receptionist what had happened, she put me on hold. Then came back and said, “Dr. Smith wants to see him.” I told her that we had not gotten dressed; and she said, ‘NOW, he doesn’t care if you are in your robe and we have diapers if he needs it … don’t stop for anything’. Took him and he checked him out closely. When he started asking questions as to whether we had had any children under the age of two – die mysteriously … I ‘freaked’ out because I know if I had not noticed that he was ‘stiff’ when I picked him up (and was turning a blue-ish gray that he might have ended up being a SIDS statistic. He told me to wait and I don’t know where he went; but, I am guessing he went to the hospital to ‘rock and roll some heads, and also with his partner who did not get the call about a baby having had ‘stopped breathing’. Then he came back and told me ‘you know where I live; call me any time; and, bring him to me – I have what I need at the house. He was PISSED that one of his patients had someone be so flippant about their baby. We ended up deciding that he had had a reaction to the MMR vaccine; so when he was going into college, he had to write him a letter to excuse him from not having the 2nd shot. We were told that ‘if’ they had an outbreak; he would have to ‘drop out’ for the remainder of the quarter – or until the danger was passed. When he had shingles, he could not stay at home because Mallory had never had chicken pox and Tami was told by her Pediatrician that she could get them from being around Will. So he stayed at the lake and she stayed in town. I agree that Beth’s niece needs to find another Pediatrician.

Beth (again) - If she is nursing one before the other; then she might need to make sure she swaps out. Or come up with a way to hold them and nurse at the same time. A pillow to lay them on to bring them up under her arm pits and holding the like a football. That what the mother of twins did when I was growing up (they were the babies) of my Mother’s BF. When she was pregnant with them, she was ‘bigger around’ than she was tall. They had a little game at the shower, cutting off a piece of yarn to try to determine how big around she was.

I’ve never had any luck with Spanx – other than the top. The ones you wear with pants roll at my waist; and, the strip to home them down cuts into my legs and it shows under my pants. I have a short slip like Spanx and that on is ‘ok’ … at least I can wear a thin dress without my legs showing through … usually put on a half-slip as well.
Oh Jeez, why do some mother act like such @$$e$ to their daughters? My Mother wasn’t really much of a ‘baby’ person … she liked them to be able to carry on an intelligent conversation; so I asked my DMnL to come help me.

Both of my boys were 3 weeks early; but, I also told my OB/GYN that I was pregnant before I missed my first period. All 3 times I was pregnant … I knew it the next AM.

Terry – Love the wreath. At my MD’s office they had a lady that works there that makes wreaths for every holiday; most hang them somewhere. She made my GYN one for Halloween and it is sitting on the arm of his sofa. It is a perfect one … orange and black netting ribbon with a witch’s legs sticking out from under it. I just hope they pay her for making them. Every time I go for my weigh-in there is a ‘new’ and ‘different’ one on the door. I want it so badly … I can’t believe he hasn’t hung it on his door (but it stays open unless he has someone in his office. Also, he is a door slammer … much like my Daddy was. Daddy did not think a door was shut until it was ‘slammed shut’. But, we lived in a old, old home and the doors were very heavy; he could walk into the front door, through the French Doors to the hall, through the dining room and into the kitchen (which had a swinging door) and it would be like ‘SLAM, BAM, thank you, M’HAM!” I get that from him as well.

When my Will was a little over a year old; my sister had a baby (her first) and she came down to visit with us (and my other sister) … she was trying to nurse her; but, I think all the traveling around upset her little soul; and she cried something awful. Sister just could not get calm enough to let down. I still had milk in my breasts and when she cried … I let down. I took her from my sister because she was about to burst into tears and my niece turned her head to me and tried to suck my shirt off me. Sister got tickled about it, and took her back and was able to nurse her. Gee, I could have been a nursemaid with the amount of milk I had. In fact I had milk in my breast until after I had my hysterectomy. So there is little wonder that I find bumps in them (had 3 B9 tumors removed). Now take Evening Primrose Oil and Vitamin E which helps a lot.

Marcelyn – Good thing your sister was home. I don’t know that I could deliver a baby. My DDnL#1 has a niece who was a missionary with her husband somewhere in Africa. She and the ‘baby’ that was born over there got Cholera and almost died; she came back to the States and told him she and 3 of her 4 children would stay here until he decided to come back to the States. She ‘had’ to leave one child over there … I think it was so that her husband would know she would return. For the first 3 she lived in Mexico and went to Texas a few weeks before the babies were due to stay with her MnL so they would be delivered in America. Her parents were really upset that they lived in a mud brick house with no floor. When she moved to Africa, her Dad went over there to build them a ‘proper’ house. Said that no grandchild of his would ever live in a place with no flooring.

Machka – Our DOGD got me started on MFP. It was great to have a place to track my calories. My Nutritionist through it was great. Said that it lets her see what her patients are eating or not eating and make suggestions. She says she has patients who don’t keep up with anything they eat and then get mad at her because they are not losing. I found that it has helped me know when I am eating properly. How I got to 50+ WOMEN? I have no idea! Just been here for a couple of years and feel like y’all are my friends! Had gone to several other sites and felt like it was a ‘trolling station’. I don’t need that and don’t enjoy ‘hearing about it’. They all were way too young and I did not have anything in common with them at all.

I went to my MD after I got home from Will and Tami’s wedding feeling REALLY dumpy and about to hit that 200lb mark … which is 60+lbs more than I should. He ‘ordered’ me into taking the program.

Joyce – When we lived in Albany, our den was on the backside of the house with a hallway and foyer. We’d turn off the lights and close the doors. I don’t know why this is the way it is here (or in Albany) actually … but the Fair is ALWAYS the week of Halloween … and there are a lot of break-ins during that time. Got tired of big kids (in their teens) coming and grabbing a handful of candy) with no younger kids with them. I started this trend when DH was ‘out of town’ that night and never stopped.

Sharon – Are you serious when you said they got everything they wanted ‘including the new toilet’? Maybe I should have a ‘shower’ on ‘improvements for my house’ and ask for a toilet.
{{{{{HUGS}}}}} – When you finally come to that point of breaking loose, you will do so. Divorce is probably one of the hardest things on a woman – right behind the death of a spouse or child, or finding out your spouse hasn’t been faithful … or is abusive – whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

Your Mother was speaking from a time that ‘when a woman got married, she became the ‘property’ of her husband … that is no longer true. You are not anybody’s ‘property’ for them to mistreat or abuse you. You also don’t have to lauder your linens in public anymore like had to be done in the 50’s and 60’s (and to some degree into the 70’s). If the marriage is irretrievable broken then it is broken. Like Humpty Dumpty is might be too fragile to try to put back together without going through ‘couples counseling’ and most men don’t want to talk about THEIR feelings.

Rye – My Mother wore hats – she’d come down to Albany twice a year and buy 3 or 4 hats to go with everything she had made (she made all her clothes). I enjoyed going with her. The last time she was able to drive … she and I went to the ‘hat store’ and in the window was a hat made of peacock feathers. Of course, I just ‘had’ to try it on. She asked the clerk ‘how much it was’ … $1200! She told her she could buy 3 or 4 hats for that … which she did (but they were not totaled that much). She did not ‘try’ it on; because she would have wanted it, if she had liked how it looked on her.

Our DOGD was ‘asked’ at the age of 18 (right before going off to college) if she would ‘take’ her youngest sister (who was about 8 or maybe 9 at the time) because DFAC had taken her away from her Mother (partly because she had reported her). She told them she couldn’t and why but she knew where her Daddy lived and would call him and tell him to come down NOW to pick her up. That was well over 2 years ago. All 3 children have been ‘saved’ by their respective Daddies. Her 2nd husband has attempted to divorce her mother who won’t sign any of the paperwork (because she thinks she will get her back). That isn’t going to ever happen because she is just that ‘sorry’. Unfortunately. She got involved with a group of girls who were divorced or getting one and fell into their way of partying and she and our DOS were just too young to try to work it out. But, she had done the unforgiveable and he would not do anything more than he had been ordered to do. At 14 (legal age) he petitioned the court for custody and two weeks later, she got served with the papers when he and DDnL#1 had ‘physical custody’ of her. She never went back. In fact, one of his friends who worked for the police department went with him to pick up her clothes and other belongings. She had been sneaking them out of the house for months. She would either leave the violin our son had bought her for school at their house or at school. She was afraid that her mother would break it up if she left it there during a drunken rage. When she was living with her mother, we had told her to climb out of her windows and go to a neighbor’s house that her Daddy and Louis knew; but, they were painted shut. Louis and her Daddy went over one day and broke the seals to all of them. There were times that her mother was in such bad shape that she would get both little sisters in her room and lock the door. But, she never could get the phone in there.

Josephine – I think we have to be ‘friends’ for a PM to work. Thanks for that, I will tuck that info back and wait until they decide what they want to do. Her specialist had told her that he did not know why this perfectly formed embryo did not take. The nurse had told her that it looked like it was ‘splitting’ and she asked her what that meant. She told her ‘if’ he did she would have identical twins. It’s a possibility that if it had ‘started’ splitting and then stopped might have been the reason she miscarried. I hate hearing that from my own MD. I’m not asking any questions because my son called and told me NOT to. Apparently, she was on the phone to her specialist when she got 3 calls in the matter of minutes. She apparently passed it before they needed to go in and do surgery (D&C???). The MD said she needed to ‘disconnect’ so that she and Will could get on with the grieving of the loss; otherwise she would drive herself crazy. I’ve also heard that a low dose of ‘thyroid’ medication helps.

But, I am sure from a text I got from her the other day that she was ‘still upset’ because while she is back at work and her clients have a million other things to talk about all she is getting is ‘unasked-for information about babies’. She had to give herself 5 shots a day during the beginning to make her ovaries get big (like the size of baseballs) so they could harvest the eggs. I think they got 32; and more than 3/4th of them never even fertilized. Then she started her period the next month on several. This was the first time they got 2 consecutive pregnancy that were positive; but, when they went in to have the sonogram for the baby’s heartbeat, there wasn’t one. She was devastated. Her mother’s comments to her were a ‘kick in the gut’ and she said she has not spoken to her since. Her niece had a baby that week, too, so that was another ‘kick’. When she is ready to talk, then if they decide to go through this again, I will tell her about that. My niece, who went through IVF on her first pregnancy (was pregnant with twins, lost one and then had the other fine). The 2nd time she got pregnant she did not have any problems. Both she and her husband were checked and there was no reason why she couldn’t get pregnant.

Becca – My mother gave away my ‘original’ Barbie doll (and also my red wooden rocking horse). She made all my Barbie’s clothes. I lost and found a lot of these when I would ‘step’ on them. LOL!!!!!

I am cleaning my house … like I have rarely cleaned it before – on my hands and knees scrubbing my kitchen floor – what a workout!!!!!

Dana – Congrats! It’s always nice when you’ve moved down a size.

Katla – I make shrimp and crab gumbo (from watching Louis’ grandmother make it). Also his mother made it. Little Grannie had 8 children and a husband and she cooked ‘anything’ the hunted or fished for. Making the roux is the most difficult and time-consuming thing to ever do. Will has found a roux at Wal-Mart … I think when he sent me a picture of it … it had a bright yellow label. He said he’d never stand and stir to make roux again. He went to hunt at the place he used to work (does it every December) and a couple of years ago, they brought in a chef from NOLA – and Will said he stood there for ‘hours’ stirring a roux in order to cook gumbo for 30 or so people there in a huge pot.

Lenora

Husband bought this. I am not fond of it!!
Becca

Did one segment of a 15 minute yoga DVD, held my plank, then took the extremepump class. The plan for tomorrow is to do Tonya Larsen's Step and Pump DVD.

Had an eye MD appt for my regular checkup after exercise.

Terry - I find right now that something that's deep fried really doesn't sit well with me. Also, anything that has a lot of fat in it. I would much rather have a piece of sweet fruit for dessert than a cake or cookie or something like that. Our tastes do change. Your daughter's wreath is gorgeous

Marcelyn - what a neat weekend! How neat that your sister delivered her grandchild!

M - what brought me to MFP? Well, I was on Daily Plate (now Livestrong) but found that I was constantly having problems, they'd grown so much since the DP days. So I was looking for someplace else that had a bigger database. Now there are some things that DP had that MFP doesn't that I miss. All in all, I know that I need accountability to keep me on the straight and narrow, otherwise I know that I get into the "oh, what the heck" and portiondistortion modes. So glad I found this forum. No one judging but giving different perspectives, I really like that

Dana - congrats on those pants and shirt!

Joyce - one Halloween (actually many) I would be the same way, one handful to give out, one handful for my mouth. Wasn't a pretty site. Then one year I popped myself a bowl of popcorn. When I'd give the kids one handful of candy, I'd give myself one handful of popcorn. I also needed to keep water nearby since the popcorn can be dry. That works well so I pop popcorn now all the time.

Sharon - (((HUGS)))) I know you'll do the right thing for you, regardless of what anyone else says. You deserve to be happy

Lenora - I looked online at the menu where the rehearsal dinner will be. I think I'll order the surf and turf and just not eat the filet. "Bacon wrapped filet". Sounds yuk! I'll try a mouthful and then decide that I really don't like it. I probably COULD order just the lobster tail, but that would be 1/2 price. So I'll get the surf and turf.

Carol - Steve is a guy who used to be a consultant for Mars under Vince. He's a real great guy. He's supposed to be here tomorrow and will be leaving Thurs. He owns the house in PA that Jess and I stayed at when we decorated the cake for the shower. I suspect to some degree he's lonely, he isn't married and doesn't have any children.

Welcome everyone new

Quick Shrimp Gumbo
1 c finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 lb kielbasa or Polish sausage, halved and cut into 1/4 in slices (I found that I wished I'd cut it into 4ths just to make it easier to bite)
1-1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (14-1/2oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth (I felt that 1 cup may have been too much, next time I'll try 1/2 cup or maybe none at all)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce
3/4 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cut quick cooking rice (I made this w/o any chicken broth, and I still felt there was too much liquid. Next time I'll try 1 cup of rice rather than 1/2 cup)
Lemon slices, optional
In a larg sucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Stir in sausage and cook and stir for 2 min or until sausage begins to brown. Add green pepper; cook and stir for 2 min.
Stir in the tomatoes, broth, seasonings and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 2 min. Stir in shrimp. Cook 3-4 min longer or until shrimp turn pink. Stir in rice. Remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 min or until rice is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve w/ lemon slices if desired.
Yield: 4 servings
One serving (1-1/4 cup) equals
246 calories
5 g fat (1 g sat fat)
146 mg chol
1,211 mg sodium
27 g carb
3 g fiber
23 g protein

Went for an eye appt today after exercise. Found out that my eye MD is retiring at the end of the year. Vince goes tomorrow. We were scheduled for a dance lesson tomorrow but the guy had to cancel so we'll go again on Sunday

drkatie - so glad that this site clicked with you.

Exercised, eye MD appt. bowling, then a picnic from the Newcomers, left early to go to ceramics, then mahjongg.

Michele in NC

⚓

Dr. Katie: Good wishes for your DH as he recovers from surgery.

Michele: I love the shrimp gumbo recipe and copied it. Thank you for sharing! :flowerforyou:

Joyce: You have an amazing memory and are right about me. I joined MFP after I gave myself bursitis in my left knee while riding at a trot in a lesson. I realized I was too heavy for my own knees and decided to do something about it. Counting calories in and calories out has worked its magic. This group has been great for me. :bigsmile:


I spent most of today working on knitting a baby blanket for a new grandchild that is due to be born in December. I made good progress but have another day or two of work to finish it. Tomorrow is full. I have a yoga class and pedicure during the day, and a meeting to attend at night. I like having things to do.


Katla in beautiful NW Oregon

"So many of us believe in perfection, which ruins everything else, because the perfect is not only the enemy of the good; it's also the enemy of the realistic, the possible and the fun."

The scale is your best friend. Three and a half years at maintenance and I still weigh almost everything.

Heather UK xxxxxxx

I lost a bunch with WW some years back. It was a 16-week special course arranged for free at my then workplace for the 24 applicants with the highest BMI, and I was one of the "winners". That summer, when my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary, I was so slim I fit into my school uniform from when I was 16.

Years passed. Both kids moved away from home, then my husband got a new job and moved to Norway (we used to live in Sweden). The weight crept back.

I found MFP at some time, but didn't use it much to begin with. I was on a couple of Swedish sites for a few years. On the second site, I was part of a chummy group that met in real life about once a year - and I continued with them even after moving to Norway. I started using MFP for logging, while staying on the Swedish site for the camaraderie. But that site was gung-ho for LCHF and eventually I got fed up with them.

After my positive weight loss experience with WW, I was so unsuccessful this time around that I began to believe it wasn't possible to lose weight after menopause. That was why I was so intrigued to see the Women 50+ thread. Could it be done? I read and found that - yes - some women my age had managed. Some women OLDER than me had managed! I especially recall being inspired by Heather's story, of being heavy and unfit to the point of having trouble getting around, but slowly making the weight come off - and keeping it off afterwards. Barbie's journey was also an inspiration. Finding role models was an important turning point for me. Thanks! :flowerforyou:

I lurked on the thread for a month or two, then started posting, and there you go!

The first couple years I was on MFP, I gloried in how easy it was to log food on my phone. And I loved the bar-code reader that pulled up nutritional info on just about anything edible. Then to my dismay, the app stopped working. (I have a Windows phone and MFP stopped supporting it.) Since then, I've been forced to lug my computer to the kitchen with me when I want to log food.

Luckily my old phone is dying and I've ordered a new one - one that runs on Android. The first app I install is going to be MFP!

/Penny, waiting for delivery, in more ways than one, back at the North Pole

Great stories about finding MFP and this group. 2 years ago July, I was fighting high blood pressure, heaviest and most low energy I had ever felt. I found the app after being frustrated with lose it app. Then I wandered through many different forums, I looked on other forums out of curiosity, clicked until this one, I read for a while then timidly posted, Gloria was the first person to respond to a post of mine and Then DJ —I was hooked! The accountability and interest and care on this forum, and the wisdom and honesty kept me coming back! I am in maintenance because I check in with you all everyday!!
NYKAREN

Oct 1 - 51.40 km cycling (162.32 min)
Oct 2 - 8.2 km walking (100 min) + 11.5 km cycling (40 min)
Oct 3 - 5.8 km walking (70 min) + 23.6 km cycling (70 min)
Oct 4 - 3 km walking (35 min) + 20 flights of stairs (16 min) + 15 min weight lifting
Oct 5 - 6.5 km walking (80 min) + 14 flights of stairs (11 min)
Oct 6 - 7.9 km walking (95 min) + 14 flights of stairs (11 min)
Oct 7 - 26.9 km cycling (80 min)
Oct 8 - 34.2 km cycling (105 min)
Oct 9 - 5.5 km walking (65 min) + 18.5 km cycling indoors (40 min) ... spinning class
Oct 10 - 5.4 km walking (65 min) + 20 flights of stairs (16 min)

2017 Monthly October
Walking Distance (km): 42.3
Walking Time (min): 528.8
Cycling Distance (km): 166.1
Cycling Time (min): 506.1
Stairs Climbed Number: 68.0
Stairs Climbed Time (min): 54.4
Other Distance: 0.0
Other Time: 15.0 ... weightlifting

Totals
Total Distance (km): 208.4
Total Distance (miles): 129.5
Total Time (min): 1104.3
Total Time (hr): 18:24:15

josephinebowman wrote: »

Lenora-you are right on the details. And less said is likely better. That is how it was with me-I did not forgive the comments.
PINK HIGH HEELS, BARBIES! Sometimes I wander down that toy aisle.
I am sick. I will hold okay on diet but exercise will be limited. Bah, humbug. Also scale at Y was 165--4 more #s on a 5# challenge to go and 40 #s in full more. I want/need something to drink but water is not doing it. This is a kidney thing with nausea, pain, and I don't drink tea, coffee, or juices and milk is probably a bad idea due to antibiotics. What other suggestions might you have?

Diet ginger ale.

Also, with nausea, lemon-ginger tea is nice. Ginger settles the stomach.